


The Lynx Constellation

by Affectiion



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Soulmates, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 19:52:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12349524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Affectiion/pseuds/Affectiion
Summary: The day the silver mark appears on Hermione's skin, she doesn't know what it is.Another one of those stupid Wizarding things that everyone assumes is a well-known fact, so no one talks about it.





	The Lynx Constellation

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [RollAPrompt2017](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/RollAPrompt2017) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
>  Entry #8 Claim Only
> 
> Hermione Granger/Theodore Nott  
> Soulmate/Soul Bond
> 
> Massive thank you to the marvellous JadePresley who rocks my world. Without her, my writing would be unreadable. <3
> 
> _Runner-up in two categories! Thanks so much to those who voted! <3 _

* * *

 

“What the _hell_ is that?”

It started with a simple question. A simple, accusatory question, that’s how Hermione would describe it.

To be fair, she had no idea _what_ it was, but she was on her way to the infirmary to find out. She had been hiding her wrist, cradling it in her other hand to avoid just this situation, but she’d dropped her bag and forgotten what was on her arm until Theodore Nott almost ripped her arm out of its socket, yanking it to stare at the silver squiggle that was currently glittering on her forearm.

“It’s nothing.” Hermione pulled her arm away and continued towards the infirmary, shooting a glare back at Theo, who was standing in apparent shock where she’d left him.

“Granger,” he called from behind her. “Wait a second, please.”

 Hermione paused – Theo had always been friendly enough, although they didn’t often speak outside their assigned classwork.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” he began courteously, despite the strained look on his face. “I was just wondering how you got that mark on your arm.”

“I woke up with it,” she answered shortly. “I don’t know what it is so I’m going to see Madame Pomfrey to get rid of it.”

Theo burst out laughing. “You can’t get _rid_ of it, Granger, you idiot.”

Hermione felt the hot beginnings of anger rush to her face. She didn’t need this today. It was her nineteenth birthday, she had been feeling flat all week, Ron and Harry hadn’t written in ages, and now to have woken up with a random drawing on her arm - probably a Slytherin prank - well, she had _no_ _damn time_ to go to the infirmary this morning.

Theo must have noticed the tense pinch of her face, because he backtracked quickly.

 “Granger - Hermione,” he corrected himself. “Do you really not know what that is?” he asked in what Hermione considered to be a superior tone of voice. “The smartest witch of our age, and she doesn’t know such a basic thing? It’s not rare, you know.”

Hermione just made a ‘hmph’ sound before spinning on her heel and flouncing angrily in the direction of the infirmary. She didn’t see Theo behind her, brows furrowed, staring at her retreating form.

 It was over an hour later when Hermione emerged, sniffling and with a headache. That had not been the news she was expecting.

_Another one of those stupid Wizarding things that everyone assumes is a well-known fact, so no one talks about it._

Instead of going to Charms class, she bypassed the populated corridors and went straight to the library. She threw her hand in the air, wordlessly summoning a reference book outlining her current predicament. A thin book soared through the air to her outstretched hand, nearly whacking a nearby first year on the head on the way.

“One book?” she muttered. “Of course, only one book.” She slammed her bag and books down on a table in the corner, earning a disapproving glare from Madame Pince (followed by a look of astonishment that it was _Hermione Granger_ treating books poorly).

As she read, she wrote down the key points. She could not _believe_ that no one had thought to mention this to her before. Did the other Muggleborns know? Wait until she next saw Headmistress McGonagall. Hermione had some strong words to say about this situation! 

  * __Tattoo can appear from ages 16-19__


  * _Matching tattoos indicate soulmate (same interpretation as Muggles)_


  * _Soulmate is a romantic partner_


  * _Can ignore the tattoo e.g., Purebloods typically do not search for soulmate (arranged marriages)_


  * _Possible enhancement of magical ability_


  * _Guaranteed fertility -- could overcome Dolohov’s curse????_



 After rereading the text twice, Hermione thumped her head on the table. It was a clear and concise summary of her current predicament, but now what was she meant to do?

What if her Soulmate was a Death Eater? What if she never met her Soulmate? What if she met her Soulmate and didn’t like him?

Just as her head hit the table, Theo settled himself carefully in the chair opposite her, wincing at the sound.  

“Hermione, I’m sorry for upsetting you – I was just surprised,” he said quietly, leaning his forearms on the table.  

“Surprised?” Hermione scoffed. “Didn’t sound like surprise, sounds more like ‘idiot Mudblood, typical that she doesn’t know what _real_ witches know.’ ‘Can’t believe a Mudblood like her would end up with a Soulmate Mark.’ You-”

Theo cut her off firmly. “Firstly, do not use that word in my presence.” He held up a hand to stop her from interrupting. “Secondly, that was not the cause of my surprise. I didn’t know that you didn’t know.” He allowed himself a small smile. “I assumed that you just hadn’t made the connection between a simple ailment and the Tattoo of Destiny.”

Hermione blanched. “Tattoo of Destiny?” her voice squeaked.

Theo blushed and twisted his lips. “That’s what some of the younger Slytherin girls have been calling it. I think they think it’s romantic.”

“Romantic!” Hermione burst out. “It’s not romantic, it’s awful! Having no choice, no control -”

Theo leaned across the table and patted her hand. “I know what you mean, but it’s meant to help you find someone who will ultimately make you happy. True love and all that. Isn’t that what most girls are meant to find romantic?”

Hermione snatched her hand back and snorted indelicately. “I don’t remember the last time anyone described me as being ‘like other girls,’ Nott.”

Theo ignored her, asking instead, “Haven’t you noticed some unlikely people matching up since sixth year? You know, people who had hardly ever spoken before?”

Hermione frowned, and shrugged. “Not really.”

“Colin Creevey and Padma Patil?” He raised his eyebrows.

“They’re dating?”

“George Weasley and Lavender Brown?” Theo tried again.

Hermione shrugged. “I don’t pay that much attention to other people.” She shoved her books away from her, taking the time to look at Theo. She had worked with him in classes before and quite enjoyed it. He was quiet and studious, but quick to smile. He seemed effortlessly smart- he didn’t agonise over the notes he took and appeared relaxed and perfectly at home regardless of the situation he was in. He had a number of friends but was content alone as well.

He didn’t mind talking to her and often stuck up debates in class, a small smile on his face as they argued back and forth. Hermione enjoyed those moments, but they didn’t extend beyond the classroom walls, she preferring her solitude and study, and Theo busy with Blaise and Millicent. However, he was one of the only Slytherin’s to acknowledge her in the corridors or great hall, and she had always appreciated that. Well, that and his quiet good looks.

Theo glanced at her notes, eyes catching one particular dot point. He reached out a long arm and pulled the parchment towards himself to better read it. “Pretty succinct,” he chuckled. “But not wrong. My tutor spent weeks explaining what you captured in dot points.” He frowned down at the paper as he read. “But like you’ve said here, you can ignore the tattoo. Sounds like that’s what you really want to do. What’s the problem?” Theo waved his hand over her notes. “You’ve not missed anything that I’m aware of, if that helps.”

Hermione began to shove her parchment and quill aggressively into her bag. “Well it’s not just about what _I_ want, is it?” she stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. “There’s two people in this soulbond - what if my soulmate wants the possible increased magical ability? What if they want to be with their soulmate? What if they know they have fertility problems and I might be their only chance of having children?”

“Granger- Hermione, it’s okay to be selfish when it comes to this. What you want matters.” Theo, still seated, was looking up at her seriously.

Hermione snorted. “In the nicest way, with the least martyrish tone I can manage- what I want rarely matters.”

She exited the library with Theo thoughtfully staring after her.

* * *

Theo’s forearm was itching. He’d been feeling not quite right all week - of course, he understood why now. Hermione Granger had a birthday, and her Soulmate tattoo had appeared.

He’d nearly had a heart attack when he’d seen his own two years prior. It was not, as Hermione had been muttering under her breath, a silver squiggle. It was a silver representation of the Lynx Constellation. He knew this after countless hours of research in his home library, discovering what the random pattern was after it appeared on his right forearm on his sixteenth birthday. He had delved deeply into the symbolism and realised that it reflected his own solitary personality perfectly - although he, like Hermione had been left with many questions - how would he ever find his Soulmate if she was as solitary as he? Was it even worth worrying about, given his father expected him to wed in an arranged marriage? Those had been his concerns two years ago, before the War, which had reduced them to minor worries in the scheme of things.

Luckily none of those problems mattered at the moment. His father was locked in Azkaban, so couldn’t arrange much of anything. His Soulmate had literally walked right past him in the hallway. She was often alone, like he, particularly this year with Potter and Weasley not returning to school with her. He got the impression that Hermione was lonely - she had always had the two boys with her, and had not fostered many relationships with others. Theo himself preferred to be on the outer edges of the school - he had some friends, was particularly close with Blaise and Millicent, but didn’t embroil himself in the day-to-day drama of school life.

Today, he was torn. He hadn’t considered that his Soulmate might not be aware of the event itself. But then, he hadn’t let himself imagine too much - before the final battle of Hogwarts, his father had been in talks with Joseph Flint, discussing the possibility of a union between their families. Theo didn’t mind Marian Flint, she was quiet and mild, and could carry on a semi-decent conversation. She just wasn’t very clever, which was difficult for Theo, because he was.

Luckily for Theo, he did find Hermione interesting. She was fun to talk to- he loved to rile her up in classes, debating issues and ideas with her. He sometimes even found out what her opinion was, just so he could enjoy the sport of opposing it. Not to make fun of her - exactly the opposite! He always enjoyed watching her eyes flash and her hands wave in the air to emphasise her point. He was pretty lucky, upon reflection, that she turned out to be his Soulmate.

However, what he had said to Hermione was true - he didn’t want her to grudgingly accept her Soulmate. He thought about his plan of attack; it was worth at least getting to know his Soulmate properly. He took a long walk around the lake to ponder the situation.

* * *

The news of Hermione’s Soulmate Tattoo spread quickly. She had, of course, owled Ron and Harry - to lambast Ron for not telling her of the phenomenon, and to warn Harry. She had been supremely unimpressed when Harry had already known, and had himself a green snake tattoo along his hip, and Ron blustered that he assumed she’d already know, hadn’t she noticed the vines wrapped around his bicep last Summer?

It was testament to Hermione’s intense concentration on her studies that she hardly noticed when the gossip and description of her tattoo did the rounds. Ron had owled Ginny to tell her, who had told Luna, who had published it in the Quibbler on a slow news day. Hermione only realised that others knew when she received a series of owls on a drizzly Thursday morning. She rifled through the mail in shock, skimming through them all with a growing feeling of panic, until she got to one that had a muggle photograph attached. The photo was of an obviously masculine forearm, with an exact replica of her tattoo. Her heart raced as she got up and dashed from the Great Hall to the eighth year common room in a panic.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_It was with great surprise I received news of your Soulmate Tattoo. The description Miss Lovegood used in the Quibbler (though loathe I am to admit I read it) seemed as though it described my own. I have included a photograph for your reference. If you would like further information to clarify if it matches, it is the Lynx Constellation._

_I understand that you might not be interested in getting to know me - I am unaware if you currently have a partner or are committed in any fashion, however I could not forgive myself if you, like me, were intrigued by the research possibility that lay ahead. For example, are we at all compatible? For all we know, people are told they have a soulmate and it becomes a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy._

_I did want to let you know that I exist, and this is not a ploy to con a hero of the wizarding world into dating me. In fact, the idea of the extra publicity frankly terrifies me. I don’t believe you are a fan of it either, and, should we get along, it will be difficult enough for us to navigate the waters of a new relationship (whether friendship or partnership) without the awkwardness of us getting to know each other in public._

_My understanding from Miss Lovegood’s article was that you were somewhat unfamiliar with this aspect of the wizarding world, and I would like to answer any questions you may have, should your research have been unsatisfactory._

_If you find that my tattoo matches yours, and you would like to get to know me, please owl me back. Just call for Apollo in the Owlery and he will know where to find me._

_Kindest regards._

 The note was unsigned.

Hermione sagged against the back of the overstuffed chair and groaned. Things were escalating too fast. She shook it off and shuffled through the rest of her mail. Much of it was repetitive; people claiming to be her Soulmate, although unlike the one with the photograph, they were not able to - or hadn’t bothered to - back up or justify their claims.  It didn’t matter, really. There was something about the unsigned letter that intrigued her. She wasn’t sure if she should reply to the owl - what if it was an elaborate hoax? Or one of those creepy people who kept trying to enter Hogwarts just to meet one of the ‘Golden Trio?’ What if her disbelief and discomfort with the idea of a Soulmate stood in the way of real happiness?

She slept on the decision to return the owl for a number of nights, before deciding that she was beginning to neglect her studies with her extra research and distractions in the form of odd daydreams. She was also overwhelmed with an overabundance of people awkwardly trying to say hello or get a glimpse of her tattoo and match it with theirs.

She almost regretted keeping to herself over this school year - she could really have used a good friend to work all of this out with. Or at least a human shield to either distract her from the crowds of people now taking an interest in her life, or scare them off. She even almost regretted coming back to school, despite her love of learning. At least, had she joined the Aurors with Harry and Ron, she would have been with them when the tattoo appeared.

It was Monday at 2am when she finally caved. She hadn’t slept a wink, and was cross with herself, as the list of pros and cons about her situation was stagnant. Her research had stalled and her studies were severely lacking in their usual intensity. She hadn’t answered a question properly in class in days.

She sat at the desk in her room, quill in hand. She had expected this letter to be somewhat difficult to write, as she didn’t know who she was really writing to, but it ended up flowing from her quill as easily as if she was writing to Harry.

  _Dear whoever you are._

_I apologise for the delay in sending this letter - I wasn’t sure I could, or should. As you indicated in your letter to me, I am often the recipient of unwelcome correspondence and public interest. Unfortunately, or fortunately perhaps, while the rest of the mail I received about the recent development in my life was either ridiculous or utterly horrendous, I couldn’t get your letter out of my head. I’m not sure why - perhaps the photo you included which showed your tattoo as identical to mine, or your kind consideration of my feelings._

_That being said, although initially being bothered by the idea of a pre-determined destiny, I have come to feel intrigued by the idea that there is someone out there who is sort of ‘made for me.’  This situation has me wondering, what kind of person does the universe think is my best match? So, while I am unsure about any form of committing to any kind of relationship, I agree that it might be best to converse through the owl system._

_I must confess I am not a great letter writing - I find it hard to know what to say, especially since I don’t know who you are, what you like or even your age- I am not quite sure where I should begin. So, I will start with the things that interest me and hope that perhaps something there is akin to something you might find interesting as well. (Although most find me boring.)_

_Obviously you are aware that I am currently studying at Hogwarts. My main area of focus is Transfiguration, however I am also interested in the area of Charms - I’m not sure if you’ve heard of Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes? I have been helping George, the owner, develop some charms to incorporate in some of his products. While I am not the most humorous of people, I find that he has excellent ideas, and I completely adore the research stages of development._

_To be fair, I generally love all kinds of research and have found the limited information on Soulmates here in the wizarding world utterly depressing. I have even tried muggle libraries but have ended up neck-deep in silly romance novels. While entertaining, they have not really helped me understand the idea, although they have perhaps mellowed me into the idea that it might be nice to have someone who ‘gets’ me, or just likes me the way I am._

_Hermione._

Hermione moved through the next day like a zombie. She hadn’t ended up sleeping after all. She had dropped off her letter to the Owlery in the dead of night, finding Apollo to be a delightful tawny owl who liked to rub his head into her hand. She had watched him fly into one of the side windows of the castle, so concluded that her Soulmate was most likely another student at the school. She felt that perhaps a Professor sending her a letter professing to be her Soulmate might be construed as inappropriate at this stage of the year, so crossed them off her list.

As she travelled through the castle, she took her time to really notice people, to try and work out who her Soulmate might be. Today, like Theo Nott had suggested the week prior, she really looked at people and paid attention to who had partnered up with who, and really was surprised at what she saw. People she had known prior to the war had paired up with the most unlikely partners. She began to note down the interesting mix of people she saw, from intermingled houses, purebloods who had previously decried the muggleborn students and were now seen holding hands with those of a proud muggle heritage.

She rashly decided to take the day off from her classes (claiming eighth year privilege) and only stopped for lunch. She wandered the halls, taking her notes, before the chime signalling dinner rang throughout the corridors. She took her usual solitary seat on the edge of the eighth year table in the great hall, eating absent mindedly while summarising her notes. She raised her head to give her tired eyes a break, gazing around the room to see if there were any final notes she could add to her ever growing list.

Her eyes met the chocolate brown of Theo Nott’s, where he sat across the table and a few people down from her. He smiled slowly at her, raising his eyebrows and nodding his head in the direction of the notebook in front of her. She flushed and looked down, taking a drink to keep her hands occupied. She looked back up when a foot tapped hers under the table.

“Hey Granger.” Theo grinned at her. “You look busy.” He had swapped seats with Susan Bones, who had been directly across from Hermione. He leaned over the food piled on the table to read her page upsidedown. “Ah, you started noticing other people, did you?”

Hermione wrinkled her nose. “Well, it seemed like a good idea after you mentioned it. And you were right, I guess. Lots of unlikely couples.” She fiddled with her fork. “And I guess, I should get used to the idea, right? Like it or not, I have a Soulmate. And probably they’re a lovely person.”  
  
“Still haven’t found them yet?” Theo asked, grabbing a grape from a bowl in the middle of the table, and popping it in his mouth.

Hermione paused. Oh, what did she have to lose? “I received a letter from someone who has the same tattoo on their arm.”

Theo nodded encouragingly. “And you’re going to give him a chance?”

Hermione shrugged. “Guess so. I mean, I thought about what you said, and maybe it’ll work out.”

“What I said?”

“Yeah, when you said my Soulmate would be ‘someone to make me happy.’ I’d like that.” Hermione winced and looked down again, stabbing the last pea on her plate. “Ugh. I hate sounding so girly.”

Theo gently kicked her foot under the table again. “You deserve to be happy, Granger. Good luck!” He slid off the bench and grabbed an apple, strolling through the halls with a confident swagger.

Hermione’s eyes tracked him as he left the room. She usually wasn’t one to pay much attention to other’s physical features before, but it was hard not to notice how attractive Theo was. In class, he wore his school robes, so all you could see was his defined jawline and lovely eyes. Today, for the first time, Hermione noticed that in his free time, he seemed to prefer the comfort of muggle clothes. And boy, the jeans and fitted T-shirt definitely suited him.

She was torn from her musings by the gentle brush of Apollo’s wing as he landed by her, dropping a letter onto her lap as he stole a treat off the table.

Hermione opened the letter at the table and began to read. It was quite a long letter, and she enjoyed the writer’s -her Soulmate’s, she corrected herself- dry sense of humour. He told her that he also was a Hogwarts student in eighth year, and described his interests and passions, which were wide and varied- although, Hermione deduced, he loved learning new things too, and had travelled quite a lot. He had even opened up in this letter, saying that he may as well discuss his feelings - they were Soulmates anyway, right?

This letter had a much more relaxed tone, and Hermione found herself chuckling out loud while reading it at the table. After she finished she sat back and realised the hall had emptied, and besides that, she couldn’t remember smiling so much in ages. She raced back to her room and replied in the same tone, letting herself breathe and allowing her thoughts spill out as they came. She actually enjoyed the process of writing this letter - her anonymous Soulmate had peppered enough questions and prompts through his letter that by the time she finished writing, it was almost three full feet of parchment. She was horrified when she realised, but then shrugged it off, figuring that her Soulmate may as well get to know the real her now.

She was pleased she’d left it as it was when she received the reply; her Soulmate returned the enthusiasm with such fervour that she could almost feel it coming off the parchment.

They continued their mail exchanges for a number of weeks. Hermione, although still on the lookout for him as she travelled the halls, relaxed into the rhythm of letter writing and studying. She finally felt back on top of things and was sleeping well at night. Perhaps, as her Soulmate had recently postulated, she had been feeling lonely, and having him to write to was good for her health.

Every now and then Theo would make the effort to sit with her at lunch or dinner, and they would chat about their studies and whatever was happening in their classes. He invited Blaise and Millicent to sit with them, and Hermione found herself embroiled in vigorous debates and verbal sparring. She, although reluctant to admit it to herself, considered that maybe her Soulmate was right and she had been lonely - she hadn’t felt so alive in ages.

She told her Soulmate so in her next letter. He expressed his pleasure at the statement, and suggested that perhaps after their exams they could meet for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron.

By this stage, they had been writing for the majority of the school year. The silver Constellation on Hermione’s arm had grown brighter and brighter. She assumed this was because she and her Soulmate had been growing closer.

The exams came and went as they had in previous years- although this year, Hermione found it significantly less stressful than in those previous; not having Harry and Ron around was doing wonders for her preparation. As well as this, her Soulmate was doing wonders for her mood, and Blaise, Millicent and Theo often settled in with her in the library around a table, sharing study notes and discussing their plans for after graduation.

Hermione had no real plans, in so far as she had lots of things she would like to do, but no real decision on which she would prefer. Her Soulmate had raised the idea of travelling until she worked it out, theorising that there were lots of places she hadn’t travelled yet, and the opportunities to learn and work in a variety of wizarding cities would hopefully help her narrow things down. He himself didn’t have to work for a living, coming from a rich pureblood family, so travelling would suit him just fine, he said.

* * *

The day after graduation, Hermione dressed with care. She wore her favourite outfit, ran a bottle of Sleekeazy’s through her hair, and even put on a touch of make up. She arrived at The Leaky Cauldron early, sliding into their booked booth, ordering a drink from the waitress with a smile.

She felt no trace of nerves as she gazed at the door, waiting for her date to arrive. She watched a few men walk into the restaurant, paying them no real interest. It wasn’t until Theo Nott appeared in the doorway, looking more nervous and unsure of himself than Hermione had ever seen.

“Theo! You’re late!” Hermione called over the noise of the pub, waving him to their booth.

He frowned, fiddled with the rolled up sleeves of his white shirt, and then sighed, breaking into an exasperated smile. “You knew it was me?”

Hermione nodded with a grin. She tilted her head at the other side of the booth. “Sit down,” she suggested.

“The whole time? I thought I was so subtle.” Theo groaned.

“They don’t call me ‘the brightest witch of our age’ for nothing,” Hermione laughed, eyes bright, and waved the waitress over to take Theo’s drink order.

“And if it helps,” she reached over and touched his hand, smiling, “I’m glad it’s you.”  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 


End file.
